Fall for You
by SaySomethingSweet
Summary: A fluff piece about Severus Snape falling in love with a muggle.
1. Chapter 1

He had seen her in the bar. In fact he felt a pull towards her and a yearning for her soft skin. But he knew better. She was naïve and young. That was also probably why he was attracted to her. She was just the kind of woman he wanted and the kind he needed to avoid. She didn't belong in this grungy bar, surrounded by rats and dogs who preyed on girls like her. They could smell her a mile away.

And they did.

Like watching a train wreck, he stood there as he watched a man lure her into the alley. He saw the man's large and rough hand cover her scream. She was a weak one. He felt pity. After years of war and Death Eater revels he rarely felt anything anymore. Yet as the man continued to touch her, he felt the mild annoyance rise until it became ire.

Unconsciously he began to walk towards them. The sound of heavy boots against the pavement signaled the molester to stop.

"What're ya lookin' at, mate?" the man slurred.

Severus sneered at him. His sneer softened as he made eye contact with the girl.

The woman looked at him with pleading eyes and he could almost hear her silent prayers.

_Oh please God…. Please…_

He wasn't God. But he might as well be one compared to the muggles and on some days, when he was especially high off opiates, he liked to think of himself as one.

"Scram!" the disgusting man yelled at him again.

"No," he said with a humorless smile. Spells he had not used since the end of the war floated around in his head. Dark magic was addicting. He could do it, it would be so easy.

The man was obviously unsettled by Severus' demeanor. Obviously his attempts to scare off the man did not work.

"Argh…." The man sighed. "Take'er. She's nah worth a beatin'."

The man stepped back from the girl and she dropped to the ground like a sack of flour. Severus' eyes followed the man as he moved away. Before allowing the rat to pass him, he shoved him against the wall, his forearm pining him there.

"Listen well my friend," he whispered threateningly. "You are not invincible. You are not powerful. I am. A whisper from me and I can have your body inside out. A flick of my wrist and I could have you wishing for a thousand death. However, as I have no wish for the Ministry to find me, I suggest you run. Now."

The man looked scared. He was not entirely sure what the dark haired bastard had said but he understood the gist of it. And very wisely, he tucked his tail between his legs and scampered off.

Severus' gaze returned to the little girl on the ground. She was not unconscious as he had thought. Instead she was staring straight at him with unblinking eyes.

"Can you speak?" he asked her.

She could see those thin lips form the words and could hear the melodic sounds of it, but she could not understand anything. He was talking to her. But she was in pain and very confused.

Warm hands began to touch her body again and she cringed away from the feeling and whimpered. The hands moved away and the melodic sound returned to her ears. She felt a tingling sensation seep through her. And suddenly she could focus again, if only briefly. She forced herself to focus on the handsome man in front of her and more specifically to the words he was saying.

"You do not seem injured," he explained. "Can you stand?"

"No…" she replied tired. She could not even feel her body. She felt disconnected.

"Very well," he sighed. "Is there anyone I can call?"

"I…. no."

There was no one. She was new to town and had just started at a new hospital. She knew no one and had no one here. For the thousandths time today, she scowled herself for her stupidity. Why had she thought it was a good idea? Who ever met a decent man in a bar?

She closed her eyes in shame and also due to the fact that she really just wanted to sleep.

Severus swore. He couldn't very well leave her unconscious here. Someone else could find her and try to hurt her. He also did not know how much she had heard when he threatened the disgusting man. But mostly he just didn't want her out of his sight. It was an odd feeling but not a particularly bad one.

He apparated them quietly into his home. As he laid her down onto his bed he could not help but fantasize of a life with a soft and warm woman such as her. It was life's cruel joke. He would always yearn for the woman he cannot have. For now he had to focus on making sure she was okay.

He performs another more thorough assessment charm over her. As it turns out, she is not harmed at all. Simply tired from the events of the night.

"Well," he spoke to the unconscious woman. "As you are already here, you might as well make use of the bed."

He had been suffering from insomnia for a while now. Usually he cured it with a few glass of Firewhiskey. However with a muggle patient in his care, drinking was perhaps not the wisest of actions.

The sounds of a person walking about began sometimes after four in the morning. Severus got up and decided that maybe it would be best for him to orient the poor girl before she began to panic.

As he had predicted the poor thing was thinking herself into a tizzy.

"Oh!" she all but yelps in surprise. "I didn't see you there. I guess I should have. Could you, perhaps, tell me why I am here? We didn't…. you know… did we?"

Severus raised an expressive eyebrow at her. She was an awkward little thing. But seeing as she did have a terrible night last night, he decided not to make it worst for her.

"No," he replied simply.

"Oh," she replied, a little disappointed. He wondered if he imagined the disappointment. "So why am I here then?"

"You were attacked by a brute and I brought you here for observation," he realized that it sounded a little dodgy and added, "I am a medical professional."

The events of last night were blurry but she did remember a man trying to maul her. She supposed she should be thankful that this kind man had saved her then.

"Thank you then," she said gratefully. "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to know your name."

"Severus Snape," he introduced himself.

"Severus," she said as if trying out his name. He found that he quite liked the way she said it. "What an interesting name. I quite like it. I'm Laney Ashworth and also a medical professional, well a nurse."

"Pleasure," he said simply.

Seeing as he wasn't very talkative Laney decided that the only thing to do would be to talk twice as much until he chose to speak more. Severus decided that must have been her goal because she began talking and did not seem to want to stop.

He lead her downstairs while she continued to chatter away about why she was at the bar, he lack of family in town, her job and making comments about the quaint collections of things he had. She wasn't quite as annoying after a while.

He made them tea when it seemed like she would not stop chatting with him. He made slight comments at times. He was after all, a polite Englishman.

Suddenly she stopped talking. If only briefly.

He observed her closely and watched as she squinted at the bottles on the counter. Ah.

"Do you drink often?" she asks cautiously.

"Yes," he said unashamed. "It helps me sleep"

"It actually disrupts your REM sleep," she replied informatively.

Severus shrugged.

"So I've been thinking…" she told him.

"Is that in tandem to your incessant chatter?" he teased her with a smirk. She took it in good humour and grinned.

"Nope! I take time to think a little between the pauses when I have to take a breath," she carried on the joke lamely. Severus found that he liked her childlike demeanor. "Anyway, I was thinking, since you are so kind and I don't have many friends, we could be friends!"

It was such a shock to him that she would ask for his friendship, of all things, that he did not reply immediately.

"Well…. We don't have to," she added quietly and taken aback. "If you don't want to that's alright too!"

"That would be nice," he finally replied not willing to see that cheerful demeanor change because of his dourness. "I could always use a new friend. You seem harmless enough and probably are not a psychopath. I think a friendship would be amendable."

"Terrific!" she replied happily.

With that, she left his home. Maybe it was his prolonged self-isolation but Severus missed the young woman the moment she left. Perhaps some music would cover up the eerie silence. As The Clash began, he found himself a little more at ease.


	2. Chapter 2

It seems that when Severus agreed to a friendship with the young woman, he did not consider the implications thoroughly. He soon found her interrupting him at the oddest of times. And when he complained, she simply replied, "If you had a cellular phone I could text you before I arrived. But Severus, dear, you don't have one and refuse to get one. So really, not my fault."

He knew she was being unreasonable but he could not find it in himself to be annoyed. He actually rather liked it when she dropped by sometimes.

After a particularly exciting night at one of the louder clubs, Severus had brought home a willowy red head home. While the night before she seemed quite attractive and, as he was a man with needs, they had satisfied those needs. However, when the morning came, he cursed himself a million ways to Sunday for bringing such a woman into his home. Her perfume smelled so acrid that Severus wondered how he could have missed it. She was all bones and angles and he found that they dug into his own bony body. Perhaps it was the red hair or the alcohol, but something last night removed sound judgment from him.

So when he felt Laney enter his wards and at his door, he unlocked the door for her nonverbally. However she was too polite to simply turn the doorknob. So he had to also magically open the door for her before she sneaked into the house like a scared little rabbit. She would have made a terrible spy, he thought to himself.

He then proceeded to untangle himself from the willowy woman in the bed without waking her. He did not succeed.

"'Ello big daddy," she said in a raspy voice. Again, maybe with enough alcohol her voice could be considered seductive but right now, it sounded like she needed to quit smoking. And 'big daddy'? Had he really let her call him that?

"Morning," he replied unenthusiastically.

"Severus?!" he heard Laney call out.

She woman in his bed narrowed her eyes, "Who's that?"

Severus Snape was a Slytherin through and through. And when he saw an opportunity he grabbed it.

"Oh that? That's my wife. A right nasty woman. Best be off before she gets her hands on you," he told the woman in his bed conspiringly.

She scrambled to grab his clothes and avoiding eye contact with him. She scuttled away quickly from his bed room and minutes later, Laney came in. He lazily pulled his blankets up higher when she averted her eyes embarrassed.

"Why did a woman just apologize to me and called you a liar and a corrupter?" she asked not at all impressed.

"She thinks we're married. Needed her to leave," he explained. Then added as an afterthought, "thanks for your help."

"Does that mean you owe me one?" she asked eagerly.

And at that point, he should have known better. But she had him. For the rest of the day, she convinced him to take her on a tour of the city. Despite his constant complaining, he had quite a nice time with her.

That was also the day she informed him that they were actually neighbors. While he appeared to not care, in reality he was quite glad. The only relationship he had were the ones with the bartenders of the bars he frequented to pick up loose women. He also liked to think that he was doing the young woman a favor. After all, she was young and naïve and he could keep an eye on her.

But as it turned out, it was her that was keeping an eye on him.

On mornings when he did not have the physical or mental capacity to assess his own hangover, she could be there. She was, despite muggle inadequacies, a health worker and could make sure that he did not die.

It was as if he knew when would have terrible hangovers. Or maybe it was just that she visited often and he had hangovers often. He couldn't really tell. Nevertheless, her visits were not without fallbacks. She would chide him but his reckless behavior and told him that he owned her one. Usually that meant a day out with her, at the park, the zoo, the shopping center, and etc.

He found his moods bettering when she was around as well. It was difficult to remain dour and aloof when his partner was so lively. He found her personality quite contagious.

On one of those days when Severus was especially miserable and wallowing in self-pity and self-hatred, Laney decided to visit.

She had a day off work and had just slept grand total of 12hours. She walked over to Severus' house happily humming a tune. She found that his home, from the outside, reflected the man who resided in there very well. It had a gothic atmosphere to it and seemed a shade darker than all of the other houses. It was a tad run down, to put it nicely, yet it was alluring in an eerie manner. How suiting.

She knocked on the door. Not one came to answer of course. However, as the norm now, the door would be unlocked and she would simply push it open.

Keeping his door unlocked all the times; that man must be truly brave.

"Severus!" she called in a sing-song manner as she moved around the house searching for him.

That man better not be drunk or hangover. It was almost noon.

She heard a sound from small study and quickly ran towards the room.

Severus was sitting at his desk with a nasty frown on his face. He didn't seem to notice her there at first. When their eyes met, she let out a small gasp at the agony that shone through them.

"I…" she tried to explain her intrusion. But no words came. Her eyes fell onto the broken shards of glass on the floor. It must have been a glass or vase of some sort before it was the object of Severus' ire.

She bent down and began to pick up the shards.

"Please," Severus begged her. He walked towards her and stood towering over her. "There is no need for you to do that. There are easier ways."

She looked up at him from the floor shrugged before standing up to meet him.

Their height differences were bad enough when there were both standing. She barely came to his shoulder and from her previous position on the ground, she marveled at the stature of the man.

He was tall, slim but he had lean muscles. She knew he did after that Scary-Wifey business last week. His bone structure was as elegant as they come. Long and angular. That was what he was. She looked at his face for a moment and scorned herself for admiring his physique while he was suffering. The look of anguish on his face that he was trying very hard to wipe away many her heart ache.

"How are you?" she asked kindly.

Severus did not deem her question with a verbal reply. Had he been more his old self, he sharp tongue would have sent her away in tears. Instead he cocked an eyebrow at her sarcastically.

"Fine," she conceded. "Well, do you feel well enough to accompany me today?"

"Is this another one of those I-owe-you's that you are so keen on collecting?" he asked her with a tinge of humour.

"Of course!" she replied enthusiastically. "How else can I convince a dashing man to accompany me all day?"

"Dashing," he scoffed. "Lies do not become you."

"Whatever," she replied juvenilely. "Will you come along?"

"Yes, yes," he said as if it were obvious. "I shall come along. Give me a moment to get cleaned up then."

"Wonderful!" she exclaimed. And left the room. "I'll be in the sitting room."

As Severus splashed water on his face, he glimpsed at his own reflection.

"Dashing," he scoffed for a second time that day.

He couldn't believe her. No one thought him dashing. The woman in the bars would seek him out because he bought them drinks and flattered the dim things. Perhaps he did have a mysterious and macabre allure, but her was far from dashing. They never commented on his looks and usually kept their eyes closed. It was just about their bodies. Bodies and pleasures. He exhaled slowly, pushing away the thoughts of copulation and hedonistic pleasures. It would not do for him to think too much of it in the company of Laney. She was young and far too good for him.

Not that she would even consider him. Despite her kind words, he knew that she could not think of him in that manner. She had seen him drunk, considers him as bad most likely. She had also seen him cry. The name Snivellus haunted him. She could think the worst of him. Yet she didn't. Perhaps it was the life debt she owed him. Even muggles must understand the concept.

"Severus!" she called out from somewhere below. "I'd quite like us to be on our way before the sun sets."

Snapping himself out of the blackhole that is him mind, he quickly changed him clothing and cast a cleaning charm on himself. Tucking his wand back into his sleeve.

Time to humour his _friend_.


	3. Chapter 3

Severus Snape was not a static individual. He knew that change was inevitable and sometimes even good. So when hurricane Laney came into his life, uprooting his terrible habits and lifestyle, she left some of her own.

Firewhiskey and beer became tea and cake.

Late night at bars became late night at home, watching telly. His personal favorite being a doctor who travels through space and time.

It was late one night and Severus Snape was on the hunt. Figuratively. He was going to find a relatively pretty woman and escape into her body. But just as he opened the door, he ran into the muggle woman that has been taking over his life, slowly but surely.

"OH! Severus!" she exclaimed happily. Why must she be so happy all the time?

"Laney," he acknowledged. She grinned even wider when he said her name. It had been a struggle. For the first few weeks she was simply Ms. Ashworth. But, as time wore on, so did her persistency and Severus gave up.

"That's me!" she agreed cheerily. "Are you heading out?"

"That would depend," he replied stonily. "Do you require me for anything?"

Despite his lack of enthusiasm, he was quite interested in what was planning. He wanted to be in her company. She embodied softness, warmth and joy, things he knew nothing of.

"Don't say it like that," she all but pouted. "I hope you know that you don't truly have to humour me all the time. I just thought you enjoyed my companies as I have enjoyed yours."

"My apologies," he said seeing as he might have hurt her feelings. "I didn't mean it. I am simply being a mean old man. Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you have come to my home?"

"I was lonely and I wanted to know if you wanted to come over and watch telly," she said unsure of herself. "We don't have to. You seem busy. I'm sorry. I can…. Have a good day, I mean night!"

She turned around, ready to run away.

"Wait," he said urgently and wrapped his hand around her wrist. "I was only going to go get some groceries. I will be returning shortly."

They both knew it was a lie. It was late. He was dressed sharply. But she let it slide.

"Okay," she said finally. "Well, um, sure. Just come over whenever you want. If you want."

Severus gave her a smile that left her breathless.

As he walked away from his house, he wondered briefly what he could possibly get from the shop. It was such a terrible lie. Slytherin House Professor, the best he could come up with was that he was going shopping. How Salazar Slytherin would be rolling in his grave if he knew.

He took a deep breath of fresh air and exhales exasperatedly. He was in deep. The primary reason he was going out on the hunt, or so to speak, was because of her. And being caught by her was simply embarrassing. This was Lily all over again. Except this time there seemed to be so many more and so many less obstacles. Sure there was no James Potter to speak of, or that he knew of, but she was a muggle, she was young, she was kind and pure. Perhaps some of the same obstacles remained. Why couldn't he be attracted to Bellatrix or Trelawney?

He found himself thinking about her more and more often. The way she smiled at him when he agreed to join her on her many excursions. The way she smelled, like spring and baked goods, when she walked passed him. He supposed it was a nice break. Now instead of wallowing in the past and feeling sorry for himself, he simply thought of her. But it wasn't a walk in the park either. She made his head and his heart ache.

Severus sighed.

She knew. She wasn't stupid. Why was he standing outside in the chilly autumn air, thinking himself to an early grave?

With a sigh, he returned headed towards her house.

She didn't even have time to figure out how her VHS machine worked before she heard a knock.

"That was quick," she noted as she swung her door open.

"I didn't go to the shop," was all he said before crouching down next to her. She didn't comment on that and continued to try to turn on the device. He watched as she pressed on all of the buttons on the machine and frowned.

"You could try helping," she told him with a pout. He wanted to do unspeakable things to that mouth of hers so that she would never pout again. But that was not possible, he reminded himself.

"Very well," he sighed dramatically and stood. He walked behind the telly and fidgeted for a moment. And suddenly the TV and VHS player were both on and working. "There."

"Don't gloat," she warned him with mock severity.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," he teased her with a small smile. She wanted him to smile like that every day. Some days, the only thing she looks forward to, are the rare smiles he shares with her.

"You are positively evil," she told him with a grin. He didn't return it. Instead he just looked a little sad.

"So what is the itinerary for the night?" he asked her, changing the subject. He really did not want to dwell on his past when she was around. Her presence was impossible to ignore and when she was round, he always found himself in the here and now. It may have been a long time ago, but he did still remember the feeling of falling in love, or perhaps better put, having a 'crush'. He had long ago resigned himself to the fact that love was not something he would be getting. He didn't really know if he had the capacity to love either.

"…until whenever, I guess." She spoke on while he was not listening. "Severus?"

He was staring. He had asked her a question and was now staring at her.

"Yes, until whenever," he repeated as if he knew what she had just said.

"Sure Sev!" she smiled a little too enthusiastically and took out a movie and stuck it into the player. He knew that smile did not bode well for him. "Now you sit. I'll go grab us some food to snack on."

Resigned, he sat back on her couch and decided to simply take it as it comes. This could not be worse than anything Dumbledore or Tom Riddle put him through.

Just as he got settled in, he heard popping sound of Apparition from the kitchen. Perhaps someone had found him and were getting to him through her?

Severus bursts into the kitchen panting, reaching for his want, only to find her standing by the stove smiling airily. He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not. He was probably still in shock.

"Sorry," she replied when she noticed him. "Popping popcorn can get loud."

"Yes," was all he said, before turned out of the kitchen and headed towards his couch. He needed to sit for a moment.

As he berated himself for his idiocy, Laney came back with a bowl of popped corn smothered in butter. That woman was trying to kill him slowly by way of heart failure.

"Tada!" she waved at the popcorn dramatically and plopped down. A few quick clicks and the movie began. Severus wasn't one to simply sit idly and watch telly, but for her, he'd sit still and act interested.

He marveled at the similarities between her home and his. The plan of the floor were the exact same. However, her home looked cozy and warm. His was anything but. Not that there was a need for his home to be inviting. The last guest he had was Pettigrew.

Her laughter brought him back to the telly and he tried to comprehend what the woman was giggling at. God only knew. As he looked towards her in curiosity, she glanced up at him and smiled even wider. At this point he really didn't care why the telly was making her so happy, as long as she smiled that way, he would sit here and bare it.

By the third movie, when Severus actually found himself actually following the unrealistic and far too simplistic plot of the movie, Laney began to feel the call of the sand man. Her eyes felt heavy and before she knew it, she was out cold.

The only indication of her new state of unconsciousness was her head hitting his shoulder.

"Bloody hell," he mumbled with unconvincing annoyance. Not that anyone was around to hear him.

No one was around.

That was a daunting thought. Had he truly been a cad, he could do unspeakable things to her. However, even the thought of it disgusted him. He saw her as the olive branch life had decided to give him. He had messed up the first time with Lily. And that mess lasted a few decades. But this time he would do it right. He would shove aside any thought of romantic love and cherish her as a friend. He could live with just friendship.

And friendship meant taking the couch and making sure she was put to bed.

With a sigh, he gently propped her head off his shoulder and stood up. When he hooked an arm under her leg and behind her shoulder and hoisted her up. She was very petite in comparison to him. So small, soft and fragile. He wondered if this was all a creation of a Draught of Living Death. Perhaps he had finally given up and decided to drink it after all.

"Bloody hell," he cursed as his mind wandered to the worst. This was real. As a Potion Master and legilimens he knew dreams from reality. This was real.

He laid her down onto her bed and covered her up. He was about to leave the room when he saw a photo on her bedside. It was the two of them at the park. She insisted that they have a picnic and he reluctantly conceded. She had asked a stranger to take a picture of the two of them since he complained that she took pictured of everything. He took the picture out of the frame and quickly copied it. Putting it back into the frame, he slipped the other copy into his pocket.

Somethings never changed, he thought to himself as he remembered the last picture he took of a woman. But perhaps this time things would be different. After all, this picture had him in it with the girl.

"Sleep well, sweetness," he bid her as he turned off the lights.

He looked at her couch and considered staying. But there was really no need for him to stay aside from his own desire to be close to her when she woke up. Instead he left a note on the coffee table and saw himself out. As he left, he considered placing a few wards on her house, but they would attract more attention than they would protect her.


	4. Chapter 4

When Laney got up in her own bed, she was quite disoriented. She remembered watching a movie with Severus and she must have fallen asleep.

Maybe he was downstairs on the couch, like a gentleman.

She all but skipped down the stairs expecting to find him on her couch but he wasn't. Oh course he wasn't he had better things to do than hang around her all day. She saw the note on the coffee table and smiled. It was so like him curt and abrupt but still polite.

As she made herself coffee and felt dejected over the fact that he didn't stay, she chided herself.

"Why would he?" she asked herself aloud.

He was tall, dark and mysterious. He hung around bars and picked up willowy, tall and beautiful women. She was neither willowy nor tall and as for beautiful, well she was pretty ad homely at most.

She had to get over this crush. It was unhealthy.

So she went along her days as usual and tried to avoid thinking about him as much as possible. But it was a lot harder done than said. Severus Snape was suddenly everywhere.

"Good morning," he greeted her the very next day when she walked out to check her mailbox. He was simply taking a stroll.

"Hello Severus," she greeted him not too enthusiastically. She wondered if he ever found her enthusiasm grating.

"Are you not well?" he asked her suddenly

"No," she answered all too quickly. This only added to Severus's worry. "I'm really okay."

He obviously didn't believe her but seeing as she was quite adamant, he let it slide. However that was only the beginning.

She tried to wean herself away from him gradually. The following morning she had brunch with him and they went to run some errands together. But she cut it far shorter than usual.

"I've got to work tomorrow morning," she explained as she prepared to leave.

"Very well," he conceded. "Shall I walk you home?"

"It's really okay," she told him sadly. "I don't want to be a bother."

But all Severus heard was just another rejection. He nodded stiffly and let her leave.

This didn't feel any different than the last time. Except maybe this time everything was fast forwarded. He found a nice girl, she found him useful. Then they became friends. And then she got bored of him. Perhaps if he smiled more or was friendlier.

Suddenly an idea hit him. He would not remake the same mistakes again. He would do something to show her that he did care for her, that he did value her.

During the next few days, he observed her routine so he knew when she would have a day off. He wanted his plan to be as fool proof as possible.

She was at him home, having their usual Wednesday afternoon tea. It was now the only weekly routine that he knew he'd get to see her at. Soon even that would end and he would just be another memory for her. He decided to act.

"Are you doing anything Friday?" he asked casually.

"I don't think so," she answered cautiously. She wondered what he wanted.

"Would you like to come over for supper?" he continued.

"Supper?" she asked a little confused.

"I was thinking of making a real meal for once," he joked. "It might be nice, if you were here."

"Yeah," she agreed eagerly. "I'd love to."

She wasn't sure what to make of it. For the rest of their afternoon tea, she was in a dazed state. She had tried so hard to simply be friends with him and be less eager. But he comes around and asks her over for supper. He was such a confusing man. Or maybe she was just over thinking. He ate and she ate. He most likely just wanted someone around. She was a convenient choice.

Convenience or not, when Friday came long she spent all morning scrubbing up, picking out nice clothes and trying her best to look lovely. Unfortunately, Fate has another plan for her.

Around noon, her phone rang. It was the hospital. They were short staffed and wanted her to come in. It would only be a 6 hour shift and she'd be back before supper with Severus. She agreed reluctantly.

By the time she got home, however, it was far later than 6pm. It was a couple hours later, actually. Severus probably already ate supper. She figured she'd call him in the morning.

She woke up later than usual due to yesterday's exhaustion and her first thought was to call Severus.

The phone rang. No one picked up and she was sent to the answering machine.

"Hi Severus," she began awkwardly. "It probably doesn't matter but I know we made plans last night but I got caught up. So anyway, I'll see you around. Probably Wednesday, afternoon tea and all."

When she hung up she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"Good," she mumbled. "That's done.

When she still hadn't heard anything from him that afternoon, she was began to worry about him. Severus was a creature of habit. Regardless of what he was doing, he usually replied to her calls by later afternoon each day.

She knew she shouldn't have come but she couldn't stop herself. She needed to make sure. To just see him in one piece.

Before she even knocked on his door it swung open. His door did funny things like that sometimes.

"Severus?" she called out.

No reply.

She surveyed the room and realized that someone had ransacked it. The sofa was tipped over. Shattered glass everywhere and bottles.

It hadn't been ransacked. He had been drinking.

"SEVERUS SNAPE!" she all but shrieked. The telltale sound of life was heard from upstairs as someone banged on the floor. Most likely to shut her up.

She stomped up the stairs quickly and hope that he was in bed, or at least close to it. She didn't think she'd be able to get him in bed by herself.

Of course he wasn't in bed. Instead he was sitting in the hallway upstairs. A bottle in one hand and an empty one laying on the floor.

Addiction was a tricky thing. She had hoped he would be over it. But apparently not.

"You again?" he slurred. "Come to send me away, have you?"

She sighed and knelt down next to him.

"I'm not here to send you away," she reassured him. She grabbed the bottle from him and tried to pull it out of his grasp.

"What are you doing witch," he questioned her.

"I want a drink too Sev, won't you share?" she coaxed him.

"I'd share everything I had with you," he told her suddenly appearing very sober. Laney shrugged it off as drunk talk.

"I appreciate that," she told him honestly.

"I appreciate you," he retorted. She had to smile at his boyish grin. "I like your smile."

She smiled wider at his compliment. Then she realized she had a task.

"Severus?" she coaxed him gently. He looked at her expectantly. "Can you get up?"

"No, no, no," he begged her. "Don't send me away."

"I'm not sending you away," she explained. "I'd just like to get you in bed."

"Too soon," he whispered to her sweetly. "We should wait."

She wasn't sure if he thought she meant 'in bed' literally or figuratively.

"Just to sleep Sev," she explained. "Can you try to get up?"

He grumbled something and slowly propped himself up and leaned against the wall awkwardly.

"I'm up," he stated.

"Good boy," she said patronizingly mostly to herself.

"I'm a man," he told her seriously. She had to giggle at that.

She helped him walk to his room, which was actually very close by but due to the shuffling that was now considered walking, took forever to reach.

The moment he saw his bed, he flung himself onto it. Unfortunately he was also still hanging onto her waist and she was flung onto the bed with him.

"Make it stop, make it stop," he groaned as tried to stop the bed from rocking.

"This is what you get for drinking," she told him seriously.

He shuffled around and moved up the bed until he was laying on a pillow. His grasp was still around her waist and he laid her onto his chest. It was an odd feeling being able to hear the vibrations of his deep voice through his chest.

"I'll never drink again," he promised. "If you stay."

"I can't stay forever," she tried to explain. His condition shouldn't be tied to her in anyway.

"Why not?" he asked petulantly.

"Because," she replied with equal childishness. "Sleep Sev."

"Will you stay?" he asked her again.

"Give me a good reason," she countered.

"Because I want you to," he explained quite clearly.

"For the night," she promised. "Now sleep."

Severus seemed to be appeased by this but kept his grip on her.

"Sweet dreams, Laney," he bid her softly.


	5. Chapter 5

Laney woke up far earlier than Severus. This much was expected.

She dazedly felt for her nightstand only to find her hand trapped between Severus' hand and chest. He cradled her hand to his chest like it was his favorite treasure. She smiled endearingly but knew that it would be far easier were she not in his bed when he woke up.

Prying his hand away from hers, she slid out of his bed softly and headed downstairs. He'd need some water when he woke up.

Severus felt a loss in his arm. He felt colder, as if a warmth had left him. It was most likely the feeling of waking up with a hangover.

Blurry eyed and dry mouthed, he rolled over to the nightstand. Maybe he left some water there, or a bottle. Either one worked. He supposed the nausea he was currently feeling beat the feeling of rejection he felt last night.

He saw a glass of water on his night stand. Thank Merlin for small favours.

As he reached for the glass he realized that someone was in his room. Foraging in his bathroom. He tried to find his want but soon gave up and tried to prop himself up.

He groaned as nausea hit him.

"Oh," a surprised female voice sounded from his doorway. "I hope I didn't wake you. Drink the water. I'm trying to find you something for the hangover."

"Red vial," he told her before sipping gingerly at the water.

She walked back into his room a moment later with a small red glass vial with a cork in it. It did not look safe.

"Are you sure?" she asked him worriedly but handed him the vial none the less.

"Family remedy," he offered. She shrugged, trusting him.

Severus sighed as the potion took effect. His nausea faded but he was still very sensitive to light and noise. Luckily Laney seemed to be aware of this and kept her voice soft and kind. He wondered why she was taking pity on him.

He observed her for a moment. She looked disheveled and her hair was sticking up in an odd manner. She must have stayed over.

"Thank you," he told her wholeheartedly. "As usual, you didn't have to."

"What are friends for, right?" she asked lightheartedly.

She twisted her hand around and looked at him as if trying to decide if she should say something or not.

"What is it…" he asked her, knowing full well she would not rest until she spoke her mind.

"Last night," she began and Severus wanted to hide under his covers. This couldn't be good. "It was bad. You drank so much. Do you remember anything?"

Of course he remembered very little. The point of his drinking was to forget.

"You can't do that to your body," she told him softly. "And to my nose."

She tried to make light of the situation but Sev was having any of it. He stared at his hands uncomfortable.

"Please say something," she begged him.

He sat there, staring at his hands for the longest time wondering what he could say. Should he tell her that he felt betrayed and rejected and decide to solve it by drinking himself to a stupor? Maybe he should tell her that he liked her far more than a friend.

"I shall endeavor to drink less in the future," he promised.

"Good," she mumbled. "I'll go make something to eat. Come down when you're ready?"

He sighed as she left the room. This was the routine from the beginning of their friendship. She's find him hungover and she's get him water, aspirin and food. Suddenly the thought of food reminded Severus of the food in his kitchen. The candles. The roast. The things he set up last night.

He sprung up from the bed hoping to catch her before she saw the kitchen.

By the time he caught up with her, she was standing in the kitchen, staring at the table. He looked at her, waiting for her to react. He knew what the table looked like. It was set up for two, there were candles, wine glass, and a bloody vase with flowers. It would take a fool to miss the implication of that table.

"Severus?" she turned to him slowly. He met her eyes briefly but he had to look away. This was embarrassing. It was times like this that he wanted to lash out and hurt other. But he knew better this time. He could feel his face heating up and he didn't know how much longer he could take of this.

"Severus," she repeated his name again. He liked the sound of it. But this might be the last time she ever said his name. At least she wasn't running out of his house. "I…. I am so, so sorry."

He had expected many things. But not this. Unless she was apologizing for the end of their friendship. He waited patiently for her to continue.

"I was caught up at work, but I called," she tried to explain. "I really did want to come to supper. You… you didn't drink because I… because of me, did you?"

"Spare me the embarrassment," he all but begged her. She felt bad for putting him on the spot.

"Well," she mumbled quietly. "Would it make a difference if I told you that I really liked you?"

"It would," he said with a tentative smile. "But please do not feel compelled to say so simply to spare my feelings."

"I'm not," she assured him seriously. "I really like you."

"But, you've been so… distant," he insisted.

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable," she tried to explain. "Sometimes I can be a little pushy when I like someone"

He let out a deep breath and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

"We are an interesting couple aren't we?" he said lightheartedly. She was glad to see that he was lightening up.

"So we're a couple now?" she teased him. But when she felt him tense up she regretted her words. "What I mean is I would like for us to be a couple."

"I understand," he acknowledged. "However, in my experience with relationships, they have always been unrequited. This is quite a new development."

"More fool to those women," she told him decidedly. He smiled down at her dazedly.

Feeling a little self-conscious under his scrutiny, she moved away and busied herself with the toaster. She looked over to Severus who was suddenly by the sink filing up the kettle. It was odd how natural this was.

Sev caught her watching him but she grinned unabashedly at him. He knew she liked his him now, and she would never give him reason to doubt that again.

She went to the table and grabbed the two plates and placed them by the toaster. Then she went to get the butter, jam and peanut butter. She put those down and removed the candle to make some more room. With the spare time, she cut up an orange and set it on the table. By the time the kettle boiled and the toaster popped, they had fixed themselves quite a breakfast.

The wine glasses were soon replaced with mugs of steaming tea and Severus waited for her before sitting down at the table with her.

"Would this be able to replace that supper I missed?" she asked him hopefully.

He stared at her with doubtful eyes and pondered over it with a moment, "No."

"Pretty please?" she asked him sweetly.

"No," he smirked. "I'd rather like out first date to be more memorable."

This surprised her. He had a way of doing that.

"I think this is pretty memorable," she told him honestly. "Someday we can tell people all about how carpe diem we were when our supper date became a breakfast date."

He smiled genuinely at her positivity and pondered on this 'someday' she just spoke of. His smile faltered. If there was to be a someday, she'd have to know about his past. The fact that he was a wizard. But to tell her all this. She might take it well but she could also take it very badly. His own father hadn't taken it very well. He was like her…

"Muggle…" he muttered to himself.

"What was that?" she asked him when he muttered something between bites.

"Muddled." He invented. "My thoughts are still a little muddled."

She seemed satisfied with his explanation. Had she been at Hogwarts, she would have been a little Hufflepuff. He didn't find the idea of a Hufflepuff-esque muggle woman to be displeasing.


End file.
